noun
whale
WAYL
noun
1
A very large sea mammal, related to dolphins, that breathes air through a blowhole.
"They watched a whale breach just off the coast."
"Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived."
2
Informal: a gambler or investor who wagers or spends unusually large sums of money.
"Casinos roll out the red carpet for their biggest whales."
verb
1
To hunt whales for a living.
"The town's economy once depended on families who whaled for a living."
How to Use Whale
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe giant sea mammal, or slang for a big-spending gambler/customer.
Common pairings
whale watching
a whale of a time
blue whale
Word Forms
whaled past tense, whaled past tense, whales plural, whales singular, whales singular
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Etymology
From Old English hwæl, part of an old Germanic word family for "whale" that stretches back to a root meaning something like "big fish."